Sperm whale sound production studied with ultrasound time/depth-recording tags

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (13) ◽  
pp. 1899-1906 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. T. Madsen ◽  
R. Payne ◽  
N. U. Kristiansen ◽  
M. Wahlberg ◽  
I. Kerr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Sound Pulse ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Hydrostatic Reduction ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Air Volume ◽  
Depth Recording

SUMMARYDelphinoids (Delphinidae, Odontoceti) produce tonal sounds and clicks by forcing pressurized air past phonic lips in the nasal complex. It has been proposed that homologous, hypertrophied nasal structures in the deep-diving sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) (Physeteridae, Odontoceti) are dedicated to the production of clicks. However, air volumes in diving mammals are reduced with increasing ambient pressure, which seems likely to influence pneumatic sound production at depth. To study sperm whale sound production at depth, we attached ultrasound time/depth-recording tags to sperm whales by means of a pole and suction cup. We demonstrate that sperm whale click production in terms of output and frequency content is unaffected by hydrostatic reduction in available air volume down to less than 2% of the initial air volume in the nasal complex. We present evidence suggesting that the sound-generating mechanism has a bimodal function, allowing for the production of clicks suited for biosonar and clicks more suited for communication. Shared click features suggest that sound production in sperm whales is based on the same fundamental biomechanics as in smaller odontocetes and that the nasal complexes are therefore not only anatomically but also functionally homologous in generating the initial sound pulse.

scholarly journals The nose of the sperm whale: overviews of functional design, structural homologies and evolution

2014 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 783-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Huggenberger ◽  
Michel André ◽  
Helmut H. A. Oelschläger
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Pulse Generation ◽  
Nasal Passage ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Acoustic Window ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Toothed Whale ◽  
Fat Bodies

The hypertrophic and much elongated epicranial (nasal) complex of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) is a unique device to increase directionality and source levels of echolocation clicks in aquatic environments. The size and shape of the nasal fat bodies as well as the peculiar organization of the air sac system in the nasal sound generator of sperm whales are in favour of this proposed specialized acoustic function. The morphology of the sperm whale nose, including a ‘connecting acoustic window’ in the case and an anterior ‘terminal acoustic window’ at the rostroventral edge of the junk, supports the ‘bent horn hypothesis’ of sound emission. In contrast to the laryngeal mechanism described for dolphins and porpoises, sperm whales may drive the initial pulse generation process with air pressurized by nasal muscles associated with the right nasal passage (right nasal passage muscle, maxillonasolabialis muscle). This can be interpreted as an adaptation to deep-diving and high hydrostatic pressures constraining pneumatic phonation. Comparison of nasal structures in sperm whales and other toothed whales reveals that the existing air sac system as well as the fat bodies and the musculature have the same topographical relations and thus may be homologous in all toothed whales (Odontoceti). This implies that the nasal sound generating system evolved only once during toothed whale evolution and, more specifically, that the unique hypertrophied nasal complex was a main driving force in the evolution of the sperm whale taxon.

Stomach contents of cetaceans stranded in the Canary Islands 1996–2006

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 873-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Fernández ◽  
M.B. Santos ◽  
M. Carrillo ◽  
M. Tejedor ◽  
G.J. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Jaw Bones ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Demersal Species ◽  
Belone Belone

Stomach contents were analysed from 23 cetaceans, including individuals of 12 species from the families Delphinidae, Physeteridae, Kogiidae and Ziphiidae, stranded between 1996 and 2006 in the Canary Islands. Cephalopod mandibles(beaks)were found in 21 stomachs and fish remains(otoliths and jaw bones)appeared in 4 stomachs. Two stomachs contained only eye lenses. Cephalopods eaten by dolphins were mainly from the families Ommastrephidae, Sepiidae and Enoploteuthidae, whereas whales had mainly taken specimens of the oceanic squid families Histiotheutidae and Cranchiidae. Fish remains included a pelagic species(i.e. garfish,Belone belone)in dolphin stomachs and bathypelagic(i.e. black scabbard fish,Aphanopus carbo, lantern fish,Lampadena luminosa)and demersal species(Lophiussp.)in a pygmy sperm whale(Kogia breviceps)stomach. Most of the prey species identified are not of commercial interest but one of the sperm whales(Physeter macrocephalus)contained a fishing hook among the stomach contents. Five(22%)of the cetaceans examined had also plastic debris in their stomachs, with big plastic items being taken by deep diving teuthophagous whales.

Behaviour and Vocalizations of Two Single Sperm Whales, Physeter macrocephalus, Off Nova Scotia

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1736-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Mullins ◽  
Hal Whitehead ◽  
Linda S. Weilgart
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Ocean Floor ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Male Sperm

During June 1986, two male sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, on the Scotian Shelf were tracked by listening for their clicks with a directional hydrophone for periods of 12.5 and 7 h, respectively. Each whale travelled along the edge of the shelf at about 2 kn (3.6 km/h), and one whale, on two occasions at least, dived to the ocean floor. After about 30 min underwater, the whales spent approximately 9 min at the surface breathing. When the whales were visible at the surface, they were silent, except on one occasion when "slow clicking" (mean interclick interval of 4.6 s) was heard from Whale 2. While underwater, most of the sound production consisted of "usual clicks" (mean interclick interval 0.96 and 0.69 s for the two whales) interrupted by frequent short silences (mean durations 21.06 and 27.82 s) and occasional "creaks" (with interclick intervals less than 0.2 s) and "slow clicks." No "codas" (stereotyped patterns of clicks) were heard from these two single whales. These results are consistent with the hypotheses that "usual clicks" and "creaks" are used for echolocation and "codas" for communication.

scholarly journals Architecture of the sperm whale forehead facilitates ramming combat

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Panagiotopoulou ◽  
Panagiotis Spyridis ◽  
Hyab Mehari Abraha ◽  
David R. Carrier ◽  
Todd C. Pataky
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Structural Engineering ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Moby Dick ◽  
Unique Structure ◽  
Complex Structural ◽  
Von Mises ◽  
Von Mises Stresses

Herman Melville’s novelMoby Dickwas inspired by historical instances in which large sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus L.) sank 19th century whaling ships by ramming them with their foreheads. The immense forehead of sperm whales is possibly the largest, and one of the strangest, anatomical structures in the animal kingdom. It contains two large oil-filled compartments, known as the “spermaceti organ” and “junk,” that constitute up to one-quarter of body mass and extend one-third of the total length of the whale. Recognized as playing an important role in echolocation, previous studies have also attributed the complex structural configuration of the spermaceti organ and junk to acoustic sexual selection, acoustic prey debilitation, buoyancy control, and aggressive ramming. Of these additional suggested functions, ramming remains the most controversial, and the potential mechanical roles of the structural components of the spermaceti organ and junk in ramming remain untested. Here we explore the aggressive ramming hypothesis using a novel combination of structural engineering principles and probabilistic simulation to determine if the unique structure of the junk significantly reduces stress in the skull during quasi-static impact. Our analyses indicate that the connective tissue partitions in the junk reduce von Mises stresses across the skull and that the load-redistribution functionality of the former is insensitive to moderate variation in tissue material parameters, the thickness of the partitions, and variations in the location and angle of the applied load. Absence of the connective tissue partitions increases skull stresses, particularly in the rostral aspect of the upper jaw, further hinting of the important role the architecture of the junk may play in ramming events. Our study also found that impact loads on the spermaceti organ generate lower skull stresses than an impact on the junk. Nevertheless, whilst an impact on the spermaceti organ would reduce skull stresses, it would also cause high compressive stresses on the anterior aspect of the organ and the connective tissue case, possibly making these structures more prone to failure. This outcome, coupled with the facts that the spermaceti organ houses sensitive and essential sonar producing structures and the rostral portion of junk, rather than the spermaceti organ, is frequently a site of significant scarring in mature males suggest that whales avoid impact with the spermaceti organ. Although the unique structure of the junk certainly serves multiple functions, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the structure also evolved to function as a massive battering ram during male-male competition.

scholarly journals Socially segregated, sympatric sperm whale clans in the Atlantic Ocean

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 160061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Gero ◽  
Anne Bøttcher ◽  
Hal Whitehead ◽  
Peter Teglberg Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Mantel Test ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Matrix Correlation ◽  
Social Units

Sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) are unusual in that there is good evidence for sympatric populations with distinct culturally determined behaviour, including potential acoustic markers of the population division. In the Pacific, socially segregated, vocal clans with distinct dialects coexist; by contrast, geographical variation in vocal repertoire in the Atlantic has been attributed to drift. We examine networks of acoustic repertoire similarity and social interactions for 11 social units in the Eastern Caribbean. We find the presence of two socially segregated, sympatric vocal clans whose dialects differ significantly both in terms of categorical coda types produced by each clan (Mantel test between clans: matrix correlation = 0.256; p  ≤ 0.001) and when using classification-free similarity which ignores defined types (Mantel test between clans: matrix correlation = 0.180; p  ≤ 0.001). The more common of the two clans makes a characteristic 1 + 1 + 3 coda, while the other less often sighted clan makes predominantly regular codas. Units were only observed associating with other units within their vocal clan. This study demonstrates that sympatric vocal clans do exist in the Atlantic, that they define a higher order level of social organization as they do in the Pacific, and suggests that cultural identity at the clan level is probably important in this species worldwide.

scholarly journals Calves as social hubs: dynamics of the social network within sperm whale units

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1763) ◽  
pp. 20131113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Gero ◽  
Jonathan Gordon ◽  
Hal Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Social Unit ◽  
The Social

It is hypothesized that the primary function of permanent social relationships among female sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) is to provide allomothers for calves at the surface while mothers make foraging dives. In order to investigate how reciprocity of allocare within units of sperm whales facilitates group living, we constructed weighted social networks based on yearly matrices of associations (2005–2010) and correlated them across years, through changes in age and social role, to study changes in social relationships within seven sperm whale units. Pairs of association matrices from sequential years showed a greater positive correlation than expected by chance, but as the time lag increased, the correlation coefficients decreased. Over all units considered, calves had high values for all measured network statistics, while mothers had intermediate values for most of the measures, but high values for connectedness and affinity. Mothers showed sharp drops in strength and connectedness in the first year of their new calves' lives. These broad patterns appear to be consistent across units. Calves appeared to be significant nodes in the network of the social unit, and thus provide quantitative support for the theory in which communal care acts as the evolutionary force behind group formation in this species.

scholarly journals Calling under pressure: short-finned pilot whales make social calls during deep foraging dives

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1721) ◽  
pp. 3017-3025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frants H. Jensen ◽  
Jacobo Marrero Perez ◽  
Mark Johnson ◽  
Natacha Aguilar Soto ◽  
Peter T. Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Pilot Whale ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Pilot Whales

Toothed whales rely on sound to echolocate prey and communicate with conspecifics, but little is known about how extreme pressure affects pneumatic sound production in deep-diving species with a limited air supply. The short-finned pilot whale ( Globicephala macrorhynchus ) is a highly social species among the deep-diving toothed whales, in which individuals socialize at the surface but leave their social group in pursuit of prey at depths of up to 1000 m. To investigate if these animals communicate acoustically at depth and test whether hydrostatic pressure affects communication signals, acoustic DTAGs logging sound, depth and orientation were attached to 12 pilot whales. Tagged whales produced tonal calls during deep foraging dives at depths of up to 800 m. Mean call output and duration decreased with depth despite the increased distance to conspecifics at the surface. This shows that the energy content of calls is lower at depths where lungs are collapsed and where the air volume available for sound generation is limited by ambient pressure. Frequency content was unaffected, providing a possible cue for group or species identification of diving whales. Social calls may be important to maintain social ties for foraging animals, but may be impacted adversely by vessel noise.

scholarly journals DNA preserved in jetsam whale ambergris

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 20190819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruairidh Macleod ◽  
Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding ◽  
Morten Tange Olsen ◽  
Matthew J. Collins ◽  
Steven J. Rowland
Keyword(s):  
Natural Product ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Reference Data ◽  
Nuclear Genome ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Ecological Mechanisms

Jetsam ambergris, found on beaches worldwide, has always been assumed to originate as a natural product of sperm whales (Physeteroidea). However, only indirect evidence has ever been produced for this, such as the presence of whale prey remains in ambergris. Here, we extracted and analysed DNA sequences from jetsam ambergris from beaches in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and sequences from ambergris of a sperm whale beached in The Netherlands. The lipid-rich composition of ambergris facilitated high preservation-quality of endogenous DNA, upon which we performed shotgun Illumina sequencing. Alignment of mitochondrial and nuclear genome sequences with open-access reference data for multiple whale species confirms that all three jetsam samples derived originally from sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ). Shotgun sequencing here also provides implications for metagenomic insights into ambergris-preserved DNA. These results demonstrate significant implications for elucidating the origins of jetsam ambergris as a prized natural product, and also for the understanding of sperm whale metabolism and diet, and the ecological mechanisms underlying these coproliths.

Coda communication by sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off the Galápagos Islands

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 744-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Weilgart ◽  
Hal Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Sequential Analysis ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Insight Into

To gain insight into the function of sperm whale vocalizations known as codas (short, patterned series of clicks), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were tracked continuously for periods of days totalling months off the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, and vocalizations were tape recorded systematically. In total, 1333 codas were classified according to their temporal pattern and the number of clicks they contained. Codas were found to be temporally very clustered, and could be categorized into 23 fairly discrete types. Sequential analysis of codas revealed that they overlapped one another according to type in a nonrandom way, and that type 5 tended to initiate coda exchanges. "Regular" coda types (with evenly spaced clicks) tended to occur with other regular coda types and "irregular" coda types (with one or two delayed final clicks) were heard with other irregular coda types. Codas may function principally as a means of communication, to maintain social cohesion within stable groups of females following periods of dispersion during foraging.

Foraging on squid: the sperm whale mid-range sonar

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. André ◽  
T. Johansson ◽  
E. Delory ◽  
M. van der Schaar
Keyword(s):  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Target Strength ◽  
Directional Hearing ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Minimum Requirements ◽  
The Subject

The sonar capabilities of the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, have been the subject of speculation for a long time. While the usual clicks of this species are considered to support mid-range echolocation, no physical characteristics of the signal have clearly confirmed this assumption nor have they explained how sperm whales forage on squid. The recent data on sperm whale on-axis recordings have allowed us to simulate the propagation of a 15 kHz pulse as well as its received echoes from different targets, taking into account the reflections from the bottom and the sea surface. The analysis was performed in a controlled environment where the oceanographic parameters and the acoustic background could be modified. We also conducted experimental measurements of cephalopod target strength (TS) (Loligo vulgaris and Sepia officinalis) to further investigate and confirm the TS predictions from the geometric scattering equations. Based on the results of the computer simulations and the TS experimental measurements (TS squid=−36.3±2.5 dB), we were able to determine the minimum requirements for sperm whale sonar, i.e. range and directional hearing, to locate a single 24.5 cm long squid, considered to be (from stomach contents) the major size component of the sperm whale diet. Here, we present the development of the analysis which confirms that sperm whale usual clicks are appropriate to serve a mid-range sonar function, allowing this species to forage on individual organisms with low sound-reflectivity at ranges of several hundreds of metres.

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